AP Sports Preview

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Interstat) — West Virginia hosts Cal Poly in a nonconference baseball showdown Friday afternoon at Monongah Field. The Mountaineers (43-15) enter as a -2.5 favorite, while the Mustangs (39-22) look to build on a strong finish to the regular season.

First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT.

West Virginia rides a 43-15 record into the game, coming off a 6-5 walk-off win over Kentucky on Monday. The Mountaineers have won four of their last five. Cal Poly, winners of eight of its last 10, most recently defeated Saint Mary’s 5-2 on Sunday.

Two pitchers headline the matchup.

For Cal Poly, right-hander Josh Volmerding has been inconsistent but electric. In his last outing, he tossed six scoreless innings against Saint Mary’s, allowing zero hits with two earned runs and seven strikeouts. That followed a rough start at UC San Diego (4 IP, 4 ER, 4 K) and a mixed outing against Long Beach State (3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 5 K). Volmerding also threw 2.1 scoreless innings against Cal State Fullerton on May 10. Over his last four appearances, he has allowed nine earned runs in 15.1 innings, with 19 strikeouts.

West Virginia’s Maxx Yehl has been a reliable arm. The right-hander threw five innings in Monday’s win over Kentucky, allowing three hits, one earned run and striking out six. He earlier tossed 6.1 innings against Kansas State (3 H, 2 ER, 7 K) and 6.2 innings against TCU (4 H, 2 ER, 9 K). His lone hiccup was a 0.2-inning relief appearance at Kentucky on May 30, though he allowed no runs. Yehl has a 2.89 ERA over his last four outings.

Offensively, Cal Poly’s Gavin Spiridonoff homered and drove in three runs against Saint Mary’s. West Virginia catcher Gavin Kelly went 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI in the Kentucky win.

The Mustangs’ recent surge includes a 14-1 rout of Saint Mary’s and a 6-2 win at Virginia Tech. They split a series at UC San Diego, losing 12-2 before winning 4-3. Cal Poly also swept Long Beach State earlier in May.

West Virginia’s resume includes a 10-1 win over Binghamton and a 10-5 win over Wake Forest, but the Mountaineers lost 9-0 at Kansas on May 23. They swept TCU in a three-game set earlier, though one game was a 4-0 loss.

The spread of -2.5 reflects West Virginia’s home-field advantage and deeper pitching, but Cal Poly’s recent form and Volmerding’s ability to dominate make this a compelling matchup.